


Secret Sanctuary

by Kurohitenshi



Category: Humans (TV)
Genre: M/M, Post-Season/Series 01, Series 1 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-13 00:37:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4501086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurohitenshi/pseuds/Kurohitenshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving London, the remains of the Elster Family retreat to a cottage in a seaside village of Cornwall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secret Sanctuary

In a bid to flee their captors, the three of them had ended up - after hours of driving down towards Bath and taking a turn westward towards Somerset and then southward - in a little farm along the southwestern coast of Cornwall. They were lucky enough to avoid detection as this was in an area without CCTV, far away from the god eyes of Professor Hobb, and pass for normal young humans (after using contact lenses). An unassuming elderly landlord let them rent out a little cottage a little ways away for a small price provided they helped out with the upkeep of the farm. 

It was easy enough to do this even if it was a bit surreal. Despite being made of wires and electricity beneath flesh, blood, and bone, Leo found himself taking pleasure as he accompanied his landlord on morning walks to check on the sheep while Max fed the chickens and Mia made breakfast. It was all so normal, inviting them all to let their guard down as if danger would ever stop finding its way to their family's doorsteps.

And yet, Leo always cringed whenever a local cop car would drive down towards a nearby tourist spot, body coiling in on itself in fear that the day had come when their sanctuary would be stolen from them once more.

During the short days of winter, after the farm duties have been finished, the three of them would retreat into their cottage in silence, wondering how their distant families were - Niska with her strong independent spirit, Fred who they had hid in desperation because of his hijacked coding, and even the Hawkins clan who had become like a part of their extended family. Mia often painted, standing out at the balcony with a brush in her hand as she captured the ever changing landscape of the seas outside their door in canvas - wild and fierce one day and calm and beautiful on another. Max took to reading, sometimes quietly and sometimes loudly so that Leo could drift off to the sound of his voice as he often fell asleep during daytime, too jittery and restless at night.

When darkness fell, Leo and Max often went down the long winding path towards the sea, down the cliff to the secret cave called "Song of the Sea." The hike took hours and Leo was always chilled to the bone, but it felt better to be out of the house, away from the enclosure of walls.

"I wish we came here during daytime," Max said when they reached the secret cave, which was a tall, narrow natural arch from which the sea came in. "The waters are so green, like my eyes and the eyes of our siblings."

They stood together, shoulder to shoulder, Leo frowning slightly as his thin frame shook a little in the frigid air. The moon was full and its pale light shone through the arch. "You know why we can't, Maxxie."

Max turned to him with a small smile. "We have to move again soon, don't we?"

Leo said nothing, looking unhappy.

"Don't you ever regret it?" Max said in a small voice. "If you could go elsewhere in the world, alone without me or Mia, you could pass for a human. You could have a life, a family - "

"I have a family," Leo said, turning to Max with sad eyes. "And I will never be human."

"But love - " Max said. "Surely, you have the biological prerogative to want to be with a human mate, someone to grow old with. Like Mattie Hawkins. She understands you and accepts you. She could make you happy."

Leo shook his head. "Stop the silly talk, Maxxie. I am with the only family I'll ever want or need. I just... Can we just drop the subject?"

Max shrugged and gave Leo an understanding smile. "Have you ever fallen in love then?"

Leo sighed before shaking his head and smiling back a little. "Why are you so curious? You've known me your whole life, Maxxie. The furthest I've ever been as a boy was the wide fields around my dad's country house. I didn't even go to school. And then, we all went on the run and have been on the run ever since. How would I find the right person to fall in love with?"

There was a pause before Max asked in curiosity, "You said person, not girl."

Leo said nothing, shrugging nonchalantly. After a moment, he said, "There's been no person, like I said."

"But surely one day?"

With a sigh, Leo leaned the side of his head against the comforting warmth of Max's solid shoulder. "I have everything I need, Maxxie."

Max looked down at the smooth, shaved skin of Leo's pale cheek, up to his prominent cheekbone and the tousled, wind-swept dark hair. And there, bathed in the quiet moonlight, his synthetic heart skipped a beat as he finally understood.


End file.
